Prototyping continues to mature quickly according to the Hype Cycle, indicating that 3-D printers in this area will continue to see widespread adoption.

These and many other insights are available in the Gartner report Hype Cycle for 3D Printing, 2015, Michael Shanler, Pete Basiliere published on July 27, 2015. Gartner is for the first time including the categories of 3-D printing of consumable products, 3-D printing-aided hip/knee implants, 3-D printing of dental devices and 3-D printing of hearing devices. In addition, this hype cycle has split 3-D bioprinting into systems for organ transplants and for Life Sciences R&D including bioengineering.

"In the healthcare industry, 3-D Printing is already in mainstream use to produce medical items that need to be tailored to individuals, such as hearing aids and dental devices," said Pete Basiliere, research director at Gartner.

Gartner’s Hype Cycle for 3-D Printing, 2015

Additional information is available in the Gartner report Hype Cycle for 3D Printing, 2015, Michael Shanler, Pete Basiliere published on July 27, 2015. This report is part of Gartner's Hype Cycle Special Report for 2015. This Special Report provides strategists and planners with an assessment of the market hype, maturity, business benefit and future direction of more than 2,000 technologies, grouped into 112 areas.